They Don't Matter
by broken-inside-x
Summary: When Luce cuts Arriane's hair she's worried the most important people won't recognise her. Some mentions of Luce's past lives from Passion so I wouldnt suggest ruining it for yourself!


**This idea came to me whilst i was reading the Fallen series, obviously, I always wondered about the whole cutting of hair thing in the first book so if anyone has any actual ideas as to why that happened please let me know? Anyways, i majorly disappointed to read _Fallen In Love_ to find out that this couple just didnt happen so I'm going to make do with my imagination instead(: All mistakes are mine and beware there could be a fair few in here. Thanks guys (:**

She's surprised when a feeling of remorse shoots through her veins as her dark curls fall to the ground. Luce is a solid presence behind her, the girl's small body radiating heat and her nimble fingers tickle her scalp as Luce hacks away at her hair with the Swiss army knife.

"Are you sure about this Arriane?"

A chuckle reverberated through her body at the stupid question that Luce had posed. What could she have done about it now? They'd already made it through half her hair. Luce's voice had never been as frail sounding as it was in this life time, almost like she was scared. When she'd been reincarnated as Princess Lys she'd been stubborn and defiant, quietly rebelling against the monarchy and meeting with the stable attendant. Lucinda Biscoe had been prim and proper and in no way afraid of ordering anybody around and Luschka…well Luschka had watched bombs fall from the sky and still defied her guardian, running to find Daniel whilst the world around her burned to ashes.

Arriane had always had long dark curls whenever she'd met one of Luce's reincarnations. Wild, tangled hair that framed her wide eyes. She'd always needed it to cover the horrendous scar that tainted her skin, a sharp involuntary gasp from Luce let her know that said scar was finally on show, something she wasn't sure she was completely comfortable with. It was like having her only weakness uncovered for the world to use against her, she felt vulnerable. Now that her hair was falling like rain around her she couldn't help but wonder, stupidly, almost too humanly, if she'd still be her without it, without the untameable locks. It had been a way of getting Luce to trust her but would anyone else recognise her? Would Daniel, or Gabbe? Would Roland?

"Right its…it's done." Luce stammered, slowly backing away from her like on wrong move could set off a bomb, maybe it would, a flash of light reflecting on the metal device around her wrist certainly wasn't helping.

She jumped up from where she'd been perched on the bleachers, landing gracefully on her feet whilst her hands shot up to tangle themselves in what remained of her lustrous locks. It now framed her head in soft tufts of curls, falling as haphazardly as it had always done.

Arriane flashed Luce a wide, Cheshire cat grin before jumping down to the ground, calling for Luce to follow before she bounced her way across the gardens.

* * *

"What did you do to your hair!" Gabbe shrieked as Arriane let herself into Gabbe's room.

The walls had been covered in hundreds of photos, or what classed as photos in the times they were taken, taken from across every century and moment in time. It had been a risky move, displaying all these memories, memories of times humans wouldn't have survived, and both Daniel and Cam had been completely against the idea but Gabbe had ignored their protests and stuck them up anyway. No-one else was ever allowed into her room apart from herself and Daniel and so Gabbe had felt all the fuss was for nothing.

There was one of Arriane and Gabbe that always caught her eye, they were clutching at each other, full skirts billowed around their bodies and both had their hair piled up in a mess of curls on top of their heads. The black and white photo didn't show it but she could remember the flush that had spread along their cheeks, showing underneath the pasty powder they'd had to use as makeup. Their faces split into large grins directed at whoever had taken the photo; she knew it had been Daniel who'd been in an especially good mood at the first sighting of Luce, or Lucinda Biscoe as she was in 19th century England. Luce had died so early on in her last life, not even a single touch had transpired between her and Daniel, that they hadn't been sure if she would return to earth again or whether the cycle had finally been broken. She'd come back though, like she always did, for Daniel.

Daniel was now sprawled across Gabbe's bright pink comforter, his light eyes following Arriane's as she stared hard at that single picture amongst the more recent photo's as well as the ancient drawings of their earlier times.

She threw herself onto the bed next to him, ignoring the rant that Gabbe had started herself on as she paced the length of the room, leaving only a small gap between their bodies and ignoring the urge to just curl up next to him and cry as they'd both done in the past. On the occasion that the other fallen angels had been there to witness Luce's death Daniel had turned to her for comfort as she had to him. Besides Daniel, Arriane and Luce had always had the closest connection, in every one of her lives, almost like they were drawn to each other and the small grin that Daniel was sending her now let her know that he understood this lifetime wasn't going to be any different. That's why she'd let Luce cut her hair.

"Roland's going to go mad. You know that right?" he whispered to her, his eyes still focused on the wall of pictures in front of them whilst Gabbe continued to pace angrily.

"Like he does every time she reincarnates?" she quipped, sarcasm lacing her voice and the eye roll that accompanied the claim even though she knew Daniel couldn't see it.

Roland hadn't wanted Arriane to fall from Heaven in the first place, she hadn't wanted to either but she believed in Daniel and she believed in Love, she'd never been one to back down from her beliefs and so fall she did. Roland had been furious, he didn't believe in love, he just hadn't wanted to fight her when it came to the final battle, he didn't want to kill her, or any of them.

"I meant about the hair."

She didn't want to think about that though, almost wished she could scratch the words from her mind. The idea that he wouldn't recognise her or understand her reasoning like Daniel had made her feel sick to her stomach, her insides twisted painfully at the thought. It was just another tormenting reminder that he didn't understand anymore, he wasn't on their side.

"I have a date with Luce" she snapped before pushing herself up from the bed and storming around Gabbe who'd stopped pacing to gaze pityingly at her, and out the door. She completely ignored the hurt look that was plastered across Daniels face, a look she knew could bring her to her knees and make her doubt how she could ever have hurt someone who understood her more than anyone else ever would, someone who'd begged her for help with past Lucinda's and someone she believed in enough for fall from Heaven for. She knew that mentioning her blossoming friendship with Lucinda Price hurt him, but he'd hurt her first.

"Stupid Daniel" she muttered to herself as she made her way to her room where she was intent upon drowning her sorrows in the bottle of vodka she had stashed underneath her bed, Gabbe always did hate alcohol and the effects it had. "Stupid Gabbe…stupid scar…stupid Luce…stupid haircut…stupid-"

It was then that she walked straight into a wall of muscle that sent her crashing to the ground. She was just outside of her won door now and the urge to just crawl into her room overwhelmed her. She couldn't see who she'd crashed into through the tears burning her eyes and in all honesty she just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole before they realised who she was and the fact that she was on the verge of crying.

"Shit, I'm sorry man…"

Her head snapped up automatically at the rough voice that floated in the air, settling heavily in the air, her eyes landing on the last person she wanted to see after the day she'd had.

"S'cool" she mustered up a bright smile, fighting back the tears that threatened to break through her barriers. "Least I know I need to sweep the floor now. It's a mess down here" she replied sarcastically, the venom dripping from her voice.

"Arriane?"

The shock was evident in his voice, she could imagine him shaking his head in disbelief but she was too busy pushing herself up from the ground whilst trying to maintain some dignity by refusing the hand he'd held out to help the "man" up. Her worst fears had been confirmed, he didn't recognise her and it hurt more than Luce's horrified expression at her scar and the comments that Gabbe and Daniel had made. It hurt a lot more.

She was standing in front of him now, avoiding the urge to look up at him and to mess with what remained of her hair, instead she stared directly at eye level which, next to him, meant she had a clear view of the hard planes of his chest that she'd just walked into, his very naked chest. Typical, he'd have to be shirtless.

"What on earth did you do to your hair?" his hand reached out to pull softly at the tufts of hair she was sure looked completely dishevelled. His fingers ran delicately over her scalp and she shivered at his touch, she remembered very well just what that touch could do to her. His fingers seemed to run out of hair to stroke though as they followed what used to be the length of her hair, landing gently on the marbled skin of her neck. That was the final straw.

Her shoulders slumped and the mask slipped ever so slightly. Tears rolled down her cheeks leaving trails of her dark make up as a temporary reminder that she wasn't as strong as she liked to pretend she was. Her knees gave way and suddenly she was back on the floor, staring intently at the base of her door, covered in its stupid bumper stickers, and wishing she was anywhere but here, breaking in front of Roland. At least if it had been Daniel he'd have picked her up and cradled her against him like he'd done thousands of times after Luce had died, she wasn't sure whether Roland would just leave her be and pretend it had never happened or whether he'd just out right laugh at her.

She certainly didn't expect him to fall down beside her as he did, folding his legs up underneath him as gracefully as a dancer and reaching out to stroke her hair like he'd been doing only a few moments ago. Using his free hand he pulled her small body to rest against his chest, not bothering to swipe the tears from her cheek like he knew they'd only be replaced as she continued to sob, her shoulders shaking violently.

"I think it suits you" he whispered into her ear, like he was afraid Cam or Molly would hear him "makes you look dangerous and even more physcotic that I know you already are, only slightly" he chuckled, the sound travelled through the warmth of his skin and through her own body. She focused on the sound of his heart beating as she tried to calm herself down. "All of this over hair?"

She nodded silently against his chest and he took that as a sign to drop that line of questioning, she wasn't ready to admit to her insecurities just yet.

She noted, almost numbly, that his arms had slipped underneath her body, lifting her like she was weightless, but instead of turning towards her own room he carried her into his. The dark walls were a complete change from the brightness of Gabbe's room and the friends she'd left there. There were no photos but of course he hadn't always been with them, not after he'd chosen the wrong side.

Roland was on the enemy and yet being in his arms felt right, it felt like the exact thing she'd fallen from Heaven to fight for. Love.

He slipped her onto his bed, pulling the covers up underneath her chin and stroking her hair back from her eyes. She felt like a child, or what she supposed a child being tucked in would feel like, and a few more tears slipped through her barriers. She hadn't realised how tired she was, it had been a long day though what with Luce showing up and the cutting of her hair. Her eyes are heavy with sleep now but the warmth of his fingers as they brush through her hair cuts straight through the drowsiness that's threatening to overtake her mind, a battle she finds herself losing fast.

"S'cool, sleep. God only knows how much breakdowns tire you out" he smirks down at her, never leaving the bed until finally she lifts her arm heavily, dragging the edge of his comforter too as its tangled in her fingers. He seems to get the point as he slips underneath it with her, the material of his ripped jeans rubbing against the skin left bare by her skirt black skirt. Her head finds its way to his chest and his fingers return to her hair, like they belong there. She falls asleep then, with his arm wrapped around her waist whilst his hands tangle themselves in her short curls, her own hand resting just above his heart, a reminder that it's still beating and as long as it beats she can still save him.

It doesn't matter to her then what Gabbe or Daniel think of her hair, not even the cruel remarks that she knows Cam's going to think up bother her because after all, it was just a way to get close to Luce again and it'll grow back. Roland still recognises her and that's all that really matters to her.


End file.
